Two voices rang out simultaneously, echoing before the Hall of Taiyi.

"Impossible! How could you have survived that cursed place?" The two spoke in unison, faces full of disbelief.

Before the Sword Forest, Li Fan stood with arms crossed, looking at the pale-faced Sikong Yi and Bai Li Chen, responding with a cold sneer.

He stepped onto a sword hilt, seemingly about to pursue the two.

A phantom pierced through, bringing with it a sharp, agonizing pain.

Li Fan nearly lost control of his body, almost falling.

Falling from the sword hilt wouldn't be fatal, it would merely transport him back to the outermost edge of the Sword Forest, forcing a restart.

Of course, if anyone were foolish enough to try crossing over the top of the Sword Forest...

They would then truly understand the meaning of being pierced by ten thousand swords.

This was the trial of the Sword Forest before the Hall of Taiyi.

Unlike other places in the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, here, as long as one didn't seek death, there was no mortal danger.

At most, one would experience the sensation of being pierced through by sword after sword.

In a previous life, many cultivators gritted their teeth, enduring the intense pain, passing through the Sword Forest to enter the Hall of Taiyi.

However...

The grand hall was empty, devoid of anything!

"Could it be that the treasures of the Hall of Taiyi were taken by Sikong Yi from the start?"

"Is the opportunity within the Hall of Taiyi the Cloud Water Scroll?"

Although Li Fan could use the Insect Binding Divine Ability to capture the two, he couldn't ensure they would reveal how to obtain the Cloud Water Scroll.

As far as Li Fan knew, the ancient Immortal Cultivation World had a vicious soul-searching method to forcibly read a cultivator's memories.

Unfortunately, Li Fan hadn't mastered it yet.

To be safe, he decided to wait for the two to retrieve the Cloud Water Scroll.

Li Fan contemplated, and in his sea of consciousness, the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit suddenly appeared.

His body temperature gradually lowered, and Li Fan felt himself becoming incredibly calm and rational.

No external matter could disturb his state of mind.

He stepped forward onto the sword hilt.

Though he could feel the pain, Li Fan was fearless.

He walked several steps forward, pausing only to avoid overly alarming Sikong Yi and Bai Li Chen, pretending to rest.

Sikong Yi and Bai Li Chen, seeing Li Fan unharmed, were already greatly shocked.

Now, seeing Li Fan drawing closer, they shifted from shock to anxiety.

In desperation, they gritted their teeth and took a few bold steps forward.

The simultaneous impact of four sharp swords wasn't simply additive in pain.

The pain multiplied several times over, making it nearly impossible for the two to maintain their balance.

Fortunately, they supported each other at the brink of falling, barely stabilizing themselves.

Seeing this, Li Fan also took three steps forward, then pretended to struggle to maintain his stance.

Thus, Li Fan kept a constant distance from the two, lowering their guard.

Yet he appeared determined to catch up, giving them a sense of pressure.

Like prey pursued by hunting dogs, Sikong Yi and Bai Li Chen moved step by step, drawing ever closer to the Hall of Taiyi.

Finally, they reached the end of the Sword Forest.

Leaping from the sword hilt, the two collapsed to the ground as if exhausted.

But with Li Fan pressing from behind, drawing closer, they couldn't afford to rest.

In a moment of desperation, Bai Li Chen pulled out a blue token from his bosom, shouting toward the Hall of Taiyi.

"Bai Li Chen, the 165th generation direct disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, requests an audience with the Patriarch of Taiyi!"

Bai Li Chen's voice echoed continuously.

Li Fan abruptly halted his steps, staring intently ahead.

The majestic Hall of Taiyi seemed to come alive, trembling as it slowly rose into the air.

The ground beneath began to shake.

"Boom!"

Four pillar-like legs extended from beneath the Hall of Taiyi, stomping heavily on the ground.

A monstrous head, appearing like an illusion descending upon the world, emerged before Li Fan.

The broken swords within the Sword Forest trembled incessantly.

"Roar!"

Accompanied by a strange roar, a gigantic turtle finally fully manifested.

The giant turtle carried the Hall of Taiyi on its back.

As the giant turtle continued to howl, two black giant serpents emerged from within the Hall of Taiyi.

One coiled forward, entangling with the head.

The other stretched backward, its massive jaws serving as the turtle's tail.

If the sight of this turtle-serpent hybrid creature was already visually overwhelming...

Then the scene on the creature's body made Li Fan feel physically uncomfortable.

Every inch of the creature's body was pierced with broken swords.

Countless, it was impossible to discern how many swords were embedded in the creature.

At a glance, the creature seemed entirely composed of swords.

And the small Sword Forest before the Hall of Taiyi seemed merely a negligible fragment fallen from it.

"Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, Patriarch of Taiyi? After all these years, is he still alive? Or has he become a specter like Qin Tang and the Insect Daoist?" Li Fan was uncertain.

In his previous life, there were no rumors of this Patriarch of Taiyi.

Li Fan dared not act rashly, observing from afar.

Bai Li Chen, upon seeing the true form of the Patriarch, was overwhelmed with excitement.

He knelt, continuously bowing.

"You are called Bai Li Chen? A direct disciple of my Cloud Water Heavenly Palace?"

An ancient voice sounded.

The turtle-serpent creature slightly lowered its head, as if trying to see Bai Li Chen clearly.

"Reporting to Patriarch of Taiyi, this disciple is from the lineage of Fuyun." Bai Li Chen replied with a trembling voice.

"Fuyun..." The ancient voice seemed to fall into reminiscence.

"Yes, the aura of the Fuyun lineage is unmistakable."

"So, that boy still has descendants in the world?" The turtle-serpent creature sensed something amiss.

But it was already too old.

So old that even simple thinking was a challenge.

The countless broken swords on its body brought pain like a vicious curse, constantly affecting its thoughts.

After a moment of fruitless contemplation, it slowly spoke: "Then, why have you awakened me?"

Bai Li Chen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, suppressing his excitement, quickly saying: "Disciple wishes to request the Patriarch to bestow the Cloud Water Scroll."

"The Cloud Water Scroll? What is that? Let me think..."

Moments later.

"Oh. So it's that, nothing significant."

The turtle-serpent creature's tone carried a hint of nostalgia: "In those days, Hanhai once said, this item can only be given to disciples of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace."

"Since you are a descendant of Fuyun..."

At this point, the turtle-serpent creature hesitated briefly.

Then it slowly said: "Then giving it to you seems appropriate."

Bai Li Chen's face lit up with joy, bowing repeatedly: "Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you, Patriarch!"

Just as the turtle-serpent creature was about to hand over the Cloud Water Scroll to Bai Li Chen.

A voice suddenly rang out.

"Hold on!"

Bai Li Chen and the turtle-serpent creature looked toward the source of the voice.

Li Fan was swiftly approaching, stepping on sword hilts.

Sword phantoms continuously pierced through him, yet the pain seemed to have no effect.

Li Fan moved with urgency, quickly passing through the Sword Forest, landing gracefully.

Catching his breath, Li Fan cupped his hands toward the turtle-serpent creature: "Disciple Li Fan, also a direct disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. I too wish to request the Patriarch to bestow the Cloud Water Scroll!"

As he spoke, he began to circulate the Dream Illusion Technique.